• Ease of use. Many of the closure products avail-
able are so simple and intuitive to use, surgeons can
delegate the closure to a surgical assistant, some-
thing that becomes invaluable in high-volume facili-
ties. "If you're operating in 2 rooms at a busy facility,
and you can delegate the closure to an assistant,"
says Dr. Vagley, "there's potential
to complete more cases per day."
What to look for in a closure
device? For starters, it should dis-
tribute the tension evenly over a
wide area of the skin to prevent
or limit scarring, says Dr. Vagley.
You also want variable tension to
reapproximate the wound edges if need be.
"I come from the school where I want my wounds
to be semi-permeable, instead of watertight," says Dr.
Shah. "I like wound edges to breathe, so if swelling
develops, there's a pressure relief valve around the
edge where oozing can happen and it's OK."
OSM
5 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
DermaClip US
DermaClip
dermaclipus.com
713-682-3185
FYI: DermaClip is a non-latex, non-sensitizing adhesive strip
with a clip attached that's placed horizontally across a wound
or incision to give apposition or approximate the edges of
the wound. The company says it's the only non-invasive clo-
sure device designed to both maintain wound approxima-
tion and create edge eversion (the ability to counteract a
wound's natural tendency to form depressed scars). The
2-sided closing mechanism provides equal tension on
both the product and the skin, which reduces the
chances of single-sided wounded closures. Can be
used on long, short, straight or curved skin closures.
3M
Steri-Strip
3m.com
651-737-6485
FYI: While by no means
new or revolutionary,
we'd be remiss if we did-
n't mention 3M's Steri-
Strips in a piece about
wound closure devices.
Steri-Strips are intuitive
and cost-effective,
according to 3M, which
says its ubiquitous product is less expensive than
the other skin adhesives, sutures or staples on the
market, though it
declined to give specific
pricing info. The acry-
late adhesive strips
come in a variety of
sizes, ranging from 1/8
inch x 3 inches (3 mm x
75 mm) up to 1 inch x 5
inches (25 mm X 125
mm), and come in units
of 25 and 50. Steri-
Strips are a non-inva-
sive, hypoallergenic
product that increases the tensile strength of the
wound while reducing scarring, says the company.
"If a patient sees the surgeon is on the cutting
edge and using these staple-free
devices, he's likely to tell his friends
and family about your facility."
— Asit K. Shah, MD, PhD
